10-31-08

My name is Evan, and I am a member of the Balboa High School Dragon Boat Team. Our team has come a long way over the past three years, but we can never forget that our team would not exist had it not been for the extraordinary help of the Dragon Healers. From the very beginning, when our team started in 2009, Ross coached us and Tony steered our boat. From that point on, we were Balboa Dragon Boat.

Almost all of us had no prior dragon boat experience, but our team grew with every practice and the Dragon Healers guided us every step of the way. Lawrence drummed for us in our first race, and Lawrence and Judy began coaching us alongside Ross. A few other people, like Janet, helped us later on. These are not the only people who helped make our team what it is today. As a whole, the Dragon Healers assisted us whenever we needed help, helped us organize events, provided us with moral support, and made incredible donations to our team in the form of money, food, supplies, and even PFDs with the words “This is a gift from D.Healers to Balboa.” Dedicated parents, alumni, peers, and Balboa High School itself have also supported us, but if one single group stands out, it is definitely the San Francisco Dragon Healers.

I joined Balboa Dragon Boat sometime in March 2009, about two months after the team was founded. I joined for many reasons, and some were better reasons than others. I wanted to be a part of the team and accept a new challenge, but I also wanted to change routine, get fit, and get to know my friends better.

All goals were reached and all expectations were met. I met a lot of people and went to as many practices as I could. I eventually shaved three minutes off of my mile time (from about nine minutes to about six minutes – not incredibly fast, but a big improvement) and enjoyed the physical challenge of practices. What’s more, I made a few discoveries: Technique was more significant than strength, being a musician did not guarantee perfect timing, and the entire sport revolved around team work – in my three years of dragon boat, not one person has claimed to be the best paddler on the team, whereas lots of students claim to be the smartest in the class and lots of musicians claim to be the most talented in the group. This fact distinguishes dragon boat as a sport of absolute teamwork and collaboration.

What I really like about dragon boat is the mental aspect. As high school students, we are put under stress, pressure, and endless tests and assignments. To keep up with the competition, some of us sign up for rigorous courses we have no interest in or join extracurricular programs that we barely enjoy but that look good on an application. We all need hobbies and activities that we enjoy, both to relieve stress and to clear our minds of constant pressure. At the lake, the only things that matter are our teammates, the task at hand, and the immediate present.

Our team grew steadily and then rapidly over the months. Then, over the next few months, it rapidly shrunk. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve seen over 40 people join the team and then leave in large groups. Our team combined with another team called United, and we became Balboa/United. They were a huge help, but we still were not nearly as big as we once were. Fewer people were in the team, and fewer people consistently showed up to practices.

I thought I would never experience the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival as a high school student. It was a surprise when the Dragon Healers invited us to the 2011 festival, but not a huge surprise, as the Dragon Healers have always been there for our team and its members.

The Long Beach Festival was the highlight of my summer, an experience packed with fun, enthusiasm, adrenaline, and finally, medals. The Dragon Healers made us feel like an important part of their team. They welcomed us in, treated us as their own, and sent us back home with new experiences and new motivation.

With that race done, the ten of us who temporarily joined the Dragon Healers can return to our team with high spirits and higher goals in mind. We now know what it takes to manage a huge team, how much planning and commitment it takes to attend the Long Beach Festival, and how to really have a great time. This experience will help us maintain and encourage our own team, now that we have experiences to share and stories to tell.

Thank you, San Francisco Dragon Healers. You’ve given us money, supplies, resources, people, support, time, effort, and, now, a model to build our team after.

-Evan